Semi-automatic breech-loading ordnance.



.No. 732,259. Y 'PAHNTED JUNE so, 190s;

A W.. H. BBVANS SEMI-AUTOMATIG'BRBBGH LOADINGORDNANGE.

APPLICATION FILED Nov.18..1903.

no movin..

'a SHEETS-HBM 1.

, PATENTE 4mm so,1 190s.-l w. H. BEvANs. SEMI-AUTOMATIC BRBEGH LOADING oRDNANcB.

\ APPLIOATIONIILED'NOV. 18, 1902.

I 3 SHEETS-SHIFT 2.

lo MODEL.

PTENTED-JUNE 30, 19,03.'

W. H. BEVANS. SBMI-AUTOMATIG'BREEGH LOADING ORDNANGB.

l APPLICATION FILED NOV. 1B. 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

N0 MODEL.

watmm,

UNITED STATES YPATENT OFFICE,

WILLIAMH. BEvANs, OE BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, vAssIGNOR To AMERICAN AND BRITISH MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF NEW YORK. N. Y., A CORPORATION OE NEW YORK. f'

SEMI-AUTOMATIC BREEcH-LOAD'ING ORD-NANCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of `Letters Patent No. 732,259, datedvJlune 30, 1903.

Application led November 18,1902. Serial No. 131,796. (No model.) v

To all whom 'it may con/cern:l

Beit known that I, WILLIAM H; BEvANs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairiield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Semi-Automatic Breech-Loading Ordnance; and l dol hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and'exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the-same.

This invention relates generally to improvements in breech-loading ordnance, and particularly to that classknown as semi-automatic, the object being to provide an improved construction to be applied to breech- 'loading guns for the purpose of utilizing the energy of the. recoil of the gun, to cock the hammer, open the breech, extract Athe cartridge-case, and, when tripped automatically by the insertion of a fresh cartridgeor by hand, to return the breech-block to its position closing the breech.

The special features of ymy inventionare its simplicity and its adaptability with slight modications to. breech -loading ordnance having diEerently-constructed breech mechanism, it being not limited tov guns provided with a breech-block movable transversely of the axis of the gun, a s illustrated in the present instance, but may be. used with other forms of breech mechanisms .wherein the breechblock swings to open the breech or moves longitudinally.I l

Another important feature of the invention is that it may be applied to 'guns valready in use, thus making the .same semi-automatic.

In theiaccompanyingfdrawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of 'a portion of aV gun provided' with my invention',- illustrating the normal pol sitiou of the parts. Fig; 2 is a similar view showing the position of the partswhen the gun has reached 'the' limit of its'recoil. Fig.

3 is also a side elevation 'showing the` gunv after its return' to iringposition, the mechanism having operated to'cock; the/hammer" and open the breech. Fig. 4 `is an enlarged.

view of the inner cylinder o1- spring-casing. Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view through one of the walls of the gun-breech and the spring-cylinders, showingthe shaft and crank for actuating. the breech-block. Fig. G is a side elevation of the breech' of the gun, partly in section, showing the exterior and the cam on the exterior of breech for automatically disconnecting the spring-cylinders. Fig. 7 is a side elevation showing a hand tripping device for releasing the spring-cylinder to permit the same to move the breech-block to close the breech.

The gun here illustrated is'provided with the common form ofbreech mechanism known as the Hotchkiss breech mechanism, some of the parts'havingbeen Aremoved in thel application of my invention', and'said mechanism forms no part of my present invention. The Hotchkiss mechanism, brieiiy stated, consists of a drop-block-A, which is adapted to be moved transversely of the axis ofthe gun B by a crank C on a shaft D, which projects to .the exterior of the gun-breech. The endof the crank C moves in a cam-slot (not shown) in the block, so that when the shaft is rotated the' block is moved to unmask the gun-bore or close the same. (shown in dottedl lines) is provided With alug E', moving in an extractor-slot F, formed in the breech-block, (also shown in dotted lines.) As the block moves downwardly the extractor isdrawn rearwardly,` removing' the empty cartridge-case from the gun, 'When the dow-' n- Ward movement of the block ris sufficient to unmask the bore. 'A Vcran k-han die is provided'j for rotating shaft D, said handle carrying a cooking-cam, which engages a cooking-toe G, (the vlatter-being here illustrated in `dotted lines,) and the first movement of said crankhandle effects thecoclkin'g. of the hammer; n

' In the application of my inventionv to a'gun provided with the breech .mechanism above setv forth the crank-handle" for shaft D and diaphragm-J. -The inner cylinder His keyed to the shaft, While the 'outerxone, I is loose thereon. A post K is screwed into the :ex-

The extractor 3 terior of the breech of the gun and projects transversely through said cylinders, vconcentric slots L being formed in the walls of the latter, so that their rotation is notvimpeded by the pc,... M and in cylinder I a spring N, said springs being secured at one end to the post K and at their opposite ends to their respective cylinders. lhese springs are so arranged as to wind'oppositely-that is, while spring N is unwinding spring M is winding, and spring N is sufficiently stronger than spring M to wind the latter when it is itself un winding. lhus while spring N is discharging its energyl itis storing up energy in` spring M. Cylinder or casing ll is provided about a portion of its periphery with a flange or rim 0, in the lower portion of which is formed an el ligated slot 0. Cylinder l has onits periphery a casing l, carrying a spring-plunger P', which rides upon said flange I() of the inner cylinde'r and engages in saidslot so as to lock said cylinders together at the proper time for the purpose hereinafter set forth.

Loose upon shaft D is ashort arm Q, to which one end of a rearwardly-extendin g arm or lever lt is pivotally connected. lhe opposite end of said arm R is pivoted to an attaching-plate R, secured to some Convenient part of' the mount A'. Arm (2 has a toe Q projecting on the opposite side of shaft D, and this toe engagcsastud or lug l on cylinder l.

'lhe operation of the mechanism set forth is as follows: The parts being in the position illustrated in Fig. l, the gun is fired and reeoils loi'igitudinally. The arm R being attaehed to the mount, and therefore fixed with relation to the gun, and having apivotal connection with short-arm Q, which is loose in shaft l), causes said arm Q to rotate on said shaft as the gun moves rearwardly. The toe Q of arm Q, abutting stud l on cylinder l, which cylinder is also loose on shaft D, causes said cylinder to rotate with arm so that when the gun has reached the limit of its reeoil spring-plunger l, carried by cylinder I, has moved along fiange O of cylinderll until slot 0' has been reached, when said plunger has been forced therein by its spring. A The parts are no-w in the position illustrated in Fig. 2. ily tllis rotation of cj, linder l the spring N therein has wound or energized. The gun having reached the limit of its recoil rapidly returns to firing position, the toe on arm Q moving away from stud I. The movement of arm Q is ver Y rapid, owing to the rapidity with which the gun recoils and returns to firin gposition. 'lhc return movement of cylinderl by the unwiuding of its spring is less rapid. The two cylinders being locked together by the spring-plunger, the inner cylinder H is also rotated with the outer one and is spring wound. The inner cylinder ll being .fixed on shaft l), said shaft is also rotated, and through the medium of the engagement of crank C with the breech-block the latter i-Xithin cylinder ll as a spring the block.

1s moved downwardly to unmaskl the bore. W hen said block has nearly reached tl` 1 limit of its downward movement, the toe S on plunger l?" engages a cam-piece C', secured to the breeeix, and as said cylinders continue their rotation the plunger is graduallyforced from slot so that when the block has reached the limit of its downward movement the plunger entirely disengages said slot and the inner cylinder is released from the outer one. The spring in the innerV cylinder has now been energized or wound, andassoon as said cylinder is released from the outerv one said spring starts to unwind and. effect the return of Athe block to its position closing the breech of the gun. 'lhe extractor, however, in the meantime has been moved rearwardly by the breech-block and the empty cartridge-case has been removed from the gun, and at the time the block begins to ascend a detent T, formed in the lug E of the extractor,is directly above a notch T', cut in the extractor-slot 'of The block therefore moves 4upwardly only asuficient distance to cause said detent to engage the notch. Thus further rotation of the inner cylinder is prevented and the block locked in its downward position, so that a fresh cartridge ,may be placed in the gun. The first movement of the inner cylinder as it is rotated by the'outercylinder cocks the hammer through the engagement ofa cocking-cam U, formed on the outer wall of said inner cylinder with the coeking-toe Gr.v As will be understood, this coeking is effected before the blockv begins its downward movement. The parts have new assumed the positions shown in 3 and the gun is ready for loading. A cartridge is inserted and pushed forward slightly to disengage the de tent of the eXtractor-lug from the notch in the block. As soon as this is done spring M is free to anwind or discharge its energy, which it does, causing cylinder H and shaft D to rotate, moving the block upwardly and closing the breech. Cylinder H is provided with r handle V for the purpose of operating the shaft D and opening the breech at the beginning of the firing, and also for the purpose of operating the breech-block by hand should anyof the mechanismy of the invention become in j uled and not work effectively. Slet O in cylinder H is of such lengththat plunger P will always be in position to engage therein when the limit of ,recoil of lthe gun has been reached, even though the rearward movement of the gun in recoiling should var 1. rlhe end walls of the concentric slots'in the spring-cylinder by engagement with the spring-post limit the rotation of said cylindersand prevent the springs from entirely unwinding. y

Referring now to Fig. 7 ,cam-piece S is removed from the breech of the gun and in .lieu thereof a bell-crank-tripping lever NV is pivoted to the breech adjacent to the cylin ders, To the long arm W of this lever a cord or rope Y is attached, said rope .being ICO IIO

carried to some convenient point on the' breech and provided with a hand-grip Y'. A spring X connected with said lever serves to return the same to its normal position when it has been operated to release the inner cylinder from the outer one. The toe S of plungerP engages the short arm W of the bell-crank lever and the spring-cylinders are held from movement untilv said lever is operated to raise said plunger from the slot 4O in the inner cylinder, when the breech-block. is moved lto close the breech, as in the Iirst-described construction. In the construction illustrated in' Fig. 7 it will be thus understood that the cX tractor does not hold the breech-block open, but this function is performed by thebellcrank lever,which also releases the inner cylinder from the outer one. 'A

By providingaspringformoving'the breechblock to open the breech the movement ofthe latter is eiected withoutV the .shock and jar incident to constructions wherein theI block is directly operated by the gun.' In the present invention, while the gun recoils and returns to .firing position with great rapidity, the unwinding of the spring islessrapid, and the block is thus gently and easily lowered without jar or shock.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination with a breech-loading gun, a recoil-mount, and a breech-block, of means for storing the energy of the gun on its movement after a discharge, reacting between the gun and the block, for effecting the movement of the block to open the breech, and means for storing the energyv of said .breech-opening means for effecting the movement of the block to close the breech.

2. The combination with .a .breech-loading gun, a recoil-mount, a breech-block, and a breech mechanism for actuating the block to open and close the breech, of means'storing the energy of the gun on its movement after a discharge,l reacting between the gun and block for actuating said breech mechanism to open the breech, andV means storing the energy of the'breech-openi'ng vmeans for actu'ating said mechanism to close the breech.

3. The combination with a breech-loading# gun, a recoil-mount, and a breech-block,'of

means for storing the energy of said gun on its movement after a discharge, reacting be# tween the gunand blocl; for moving the block.' to open the breech, Sand a spring energized'.

by said breech-opening means for moving said block to close the breech.

4. The combination with a breech-loading gun, a recoil-mount, and a breech-block, of;

la spring storing thev energy of th'egun .on its movement aftera discharge, reacting'between the gun and block for moving said block -to Open the breech, and means storing the en#v ergy of said spring for moving the block' to close the breech. f I

5. The combination with a breech-loading gun, a recoil-mount, and a breech-block, of` a spring energized by the movement of the gun after a discharge, reacting.. between the gun and block for movingthe block-to open the breech, 4and a spring energized by the breech-opening spring for. movingsaid block A .under tension by the-'movement of the gun .in recoiling, means. for lockingsaid springs together while said breech-opening spring 1s s dischargingits energy, and means for releasing said springs from" each other to permit the breech-closing spring'to close the block.

7. The combinatio'nwith a breech-loading gun, a recoil-mount, and a breech-block, of:

a spring for actuating said block toclose the breech, aspring for actuating said block to open the breech arranged to act reversely to .the action of the'breech-closing spring', .an arm carried by aV non-recoiling part of the mount, means for connecti-/ng said arm andv .breech-opening spring on'recoil of the gun,

means for locking said springs together while said breech-opening spring is discharging itsv energy, and means for releasing said springsfrom each other to permit the breech-closing spring to act to close the'bre'ech.

,in testimony whereof I laffix my signature' in presence of two witnesses.

i --wILLI'AM H. 'BEvANs Witnesses: i

' B. C. LYON,

L. BRADs'rnrrl.A 

